Inspirational Product Ideas

Using some of my favorite websites, like PSFK, Sprinwise, and TrendHunter, I put together the following presentation to help inspire ideas at an upcoming innovation meeting.

Trend Report Sept. 2009

Here's a little something that I sent to my co-workers about some new news and new innovative products.



The videos for the Water Filtration and Microsoft's vision of the future are my favorite parts of the report.

Never Forget?

I'll never forget 9/11/2001. It was a day that our country was attacked during my lifetime. The previous attack came on 12/07/1941 and I wasn't born yet, but I'll never forget that day either.

I'll never forget those days not only because so many American lives were lost, but also because people over-communicate them, especially 9/11.

Today is 9/11 and I am connected to more friends than ever with the use of social media tools like Twitter, Facebook, and personal blogs. More than 1/3 of my connections are mentioning how they'll never forget or retelling the story about where they were when the tragedy happened.

This overload of 9/11 makes me remember a few other things as well.

I'll never forget 911 because I may need to call for an emergency and I'll never forget 711 because they have great slurpies. I'll never forget 511 (slim fit) because I worked at Levi's and all never forget 411 because sometimes I need information. I'll also never forget 311 because they have some great songs, like All Mixed Up.

When Disney Meets Marvel (slideshow)

View all

Soft and Safe

I grew some hair on my chin for about a week and it promted people to ask questions and make remarks. The remarks I can understand, especially since it made me even more ugly. My favorite was from two different times when I was called Wolverine. It's the questions that threw me off.

One question really got me thinking. I was asked if I was growing a beard as a sign of rebellion. What did I have to rebell against? That seemed like a silly question, but I hesitated to answer. Maybe I was rebelling against something. Maybe it was two somethings, softness and safetiness.

Raising my son has made me re-evaluate many things. One of them being a general attack on manliness. Ok, maybe it's not exactly an attack on manliness, especially given your definition of a man and manliness, but there is definately an attack on being a little bit rough around the edges, a little bit dirty, and a little bit wild.

Exhibit A: Antibacterial Gel - Since when did we need this? What happened to soap and water? Even better, what happened to letting your body fight off bacteria? Antibacterial Gel is safe. It helps prevent illness. It smells pretty. It seems like people are afraid of getting a little dirty. I'm not even going to discuss Swine Flu play on fear, which takes this even farther down the slippery slope.

Exhibit B: Toy Weapons - How did these staples of boyhood get removed from our society? Yes, we can still find them if we look hard enough, but how many kids do you see playing with them? Playing with toy guns and swords is not politically correct anymore. Owning real ones is even further away from PC.

Exhibits C & D: Bike Helmets and Car Seats - I'm not going to start my forever rant on these safety devices that were created with good purpose, but taken overwhelminly overboard. Just know that they fuel my fire.

I'm still under an old premise that men are suppose to be tough. To me, men are suppose to strive to become leaders. Men are strong, rough, and willing to take risks. Men build and destroy. Men are not afraid to get a little dirty.

This type of thinking lead me to a book called Boys Should Be Boys, whcih is surprisingly written by a female doctor. I'm sure I'll enjoy it, given the mood that I'm in and the thoughts running through my mostly empty head.

So, when confronted with the real reason I was growing the beard, I realized that it wasn't worth the ugliness, the remarks, or even the questions. I trimmed the hair close to the skin, leaving just enough to be rough without being furry.

Now that I have the attention of the three people who will actually read this post the whole way through, I want to give my recommendations. Walk outside without shoes. Stop buying that stinking gel. Go hunting or fishing and camping. Build something that doesn't come in a box with "some assemby required." Go for a bike ride and ditch the helmet. Better yet, ride that bike off the beaten path. Go enjoy the sound of a good V8 or a Harley Davidson. Fly your flag high and support our troops. Don't act like you're above people working in manual labor jobs. And finally, give your mom a kiss on the cheek because men are not better than women, just different.

Money, Money, Money

Don't dismiss this documentary because you hate Michael Moore. He gets on my nerves too, but you've got to admit that the guy is on the MONEY with his new film.

Watch this trailer and you'll see what I mean.

I love the way a fellow blogger put it, "Michael Moore gives me douche chills, but I’ll probably like this movie anyway, because I hate somewhat rich filmmakers less than I hate obscenely rich CEOs."

Free books are good

I'm currently getting into a lot of Norse mythology. I've been reading some non-fiction mythology books as well as a few Thor comics from Marvel and playing Too Human on my Xbox 360. So, it's no wonder that I am excited about the next book that I'm going to read. Norse Code is a novel by Greg van Eekhout. According to Publishers Weekly,

As human civilizations crumble, Valkyries prepare for Ragnarok by using DNA testing to select perfect warriors for their army of the dead. Resurrected NorseCODE operative Mist loses faith in the project after a tragic accident, and she goes AWOL. After Mist encounters the near-forgotten god Hermod as he investigates portents of doom along the California coastline, the two journey into the afterlife of Helheim, where they make some unexpected allies. With deities scheming and ancient prophecies coming true, can a reluctant Valkyrie and a world-weary god prevent the apocalypse? While a few aspects of the conclusion don't quite hang together, the compelling prose and epic blend of mythological and modern elements make it clear that van Eekhout is an author to watch.

I'm hoping to win a free copy of the book by writing this blog post. The first rule for the contest is to say that " the Adventures in Scifi Publishing podcast is back in production." This is great news as I've never heard of the podcast, but now have a new place to get info on Scifi literature. The next step is to tell my readers that the first episode back features Greg Van Eekhout, author of Norse Code. It can be found here: http://www.adventuresinscifipublishing.com/2009/07/aisfp-78-greg-van-eekhout/

A Gift For Teaching

Gods, wizards, and vampires

It's amazing to me that a world filled with the Internet, video games, movies, music, and sports has room for fanatical reading. Reading has been sadly falling to the wayside for a long time, but a few series have made a dent in the declining trend.

I'll admit that nothing had me more excited about reading like Harry Potter. I think that I started each of the last three books on the day they were released. I can remember people reading the same books in the airport, at the beach, and in the doctor's office. People had put down their mobile phones, laptops, and MP3 players in order to read. And we weren't just reading a quick hundred pager. These books were over 500 pages long.

After Potter and his wizardly friends, people (mostly girls) continued to flock to the book stores. This time, a love story with vampires and werewolves captured hearts. Again, the books required heavy lifting as they weren't in short supply of pages. I never got into the Twilight series, but I was glad to see people reading again.

Although the fanaticism is no where near Harry Potter levels, I've recently been introduced to Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Sadly, its one of my few ventures into learning about Greek gods and other mythical creatures. Like Potter and Twilight, Percy will soon find himself on the big screen, because nothing sells more seats like using an existing story. On that note, I hope that the Half-Blood Prince does well as it is released this week. I've been happy with the previous Potter movies and will most likely end up with the entire series on DVD.

Now to the point. Books are not dead. People can make time to read, even if the book's over 500 pages long. Books are not boring. With all the attention grabbers out there allowing us to turn off our brains, it's nice to see that we're not all slaves to technology ... yet.

Where does the money go?

Click to enlarge

Tribute to FIGHT CLUB!

My 2 Cents on Sports

Here are some of my random thoughts on Sports from the previous 4th of July weekend. I'd love to hear what you agree or disagree on.

1. Kobe staying with the Lakers is amazing. I'm not a fan, but I like to see some team loyalty. Today people either cheer for the player or the uniform because the team is always changing. Brett Favre could learn a thing or two about this.

2. Eating is not a sport. I'm both amazed and disgusted that someone can eat 68 hot dogs in 10 minutes. This is how we spend our national day of independence? Do we really want to be seen around the world as the pigs we've become? How about a July 4th Nathan's free hot dogs for the homeless and hungry?

3. Landon Donovan needs to keep his mouth (or keyboard) shut. In his latest book, the former USA soccer team captain bashed LA Galaxy teammate and former England team captain David Beckham. We get enough in-team bad-mouthing in the NFL and other sports. Don't let it consume soccer as well. Also, you shouldn't pick on a sports icon loved around the world just to sell books. It'll only get you a short-term gain.

4. Tony Stewart says that he's not proud of how he won the Coke Zero 500, but I'd bet that he would do it again in a heartbeat. Kyle Bush is equally responsible for the wreck, but Stewart has always been a horse's ass.

5. The Williams Sisters are beyond amazing and Roger Federer is the best tennis player ever.

6. Red hats for the 4th was a great move by MLB. You know that they'll sell thousands of red Yankee and Dodger hats this month.

7. It will be interesting to see how the failing auto industry in America will affect NASCAR.

8. Michael Vick should be allowed to play in the NFL. He's been punished for his crimes.

9. It makes me happy to hear that people all over Seattle are wearing Sounders jerseys. I was told that the support in Seattle reminds people of the support for soccer in European cities.

10. Steve McNair needs more press coverage. His murder was a tragedy. The man was an amazing athlete, but he also gave back to his community. I'll always remember his efforts to help Mississippi after hurricane Katrina and how tough he was on the field.

You Matter

When you love the work you do and the people you do it with, you matter.
When you are so gracious and generous and aware that you think of other people before yourself, you matter.
When you leave the world a better place than you found it, you matter.
When you continue to raise the bar on what you do and how you do it, you matter.
When you teach and forgive and teach more before you rush to judge and demean, you matter.
When you touch the people in your life through your actions (and your words), you matter.
When kids grow up wanting to be you, you matter.
When you see the world as it is, but insist on making it more like it could be, you matter.
When you inspire a Nobel prize winner or a slum dweller, you matter.
When the room brightens when you walk in, you matter.
And when the legacy you leave behind lasts for hours, days or a lifetime, you matter.

Another excellent post courtesy of Seth Godin.

25 Quotes from Chuck Palahniuk

Chuck Palahniuk is quickly becoming my favorite author. His words are powerfully thought provoking and incredibly funny. I highly recommend reading Fight Club. If you are worried about making a commitment to a book at this time, see the movie first, it was almost as good. Enjoy some of my favorite quotes of his.

1. "Hysteria is only possible with an audience."

2. “Your birth is a mistake you'll spend your whole life trying to correct.”

3. “We all die. The goal isn't to live forever, the goal is to create something that will.”

4. “You know, the condom is the glass slipper of our generation. You slip it on when you meet a stranger. You dance all night, then you throw it away. The condom, I mean. Not the stranger.”

5. “Sticking feathers up your butt does not make you a chicken.”

6. “If you don’t know what you want, you end up with a lot you don’t”

7. “Did perpetual happiness in the Garden of Eden maybe get so boring that eating the apple was justified?”

8. “I used to work in a funeral home to feel good about myself, just the fact that I was breathing.”

9. “More and more, it feels like I'm doing a really bad impersonation of myself.”

10. “Game shows are designed to make us feel better about the random, useless facts that are all we have left of our education”

11. "This is your life, and it's ending one minute at a time."

12. "Recycling and speed-limits are bullshit, they're like someone who quits smoking on their deathbed"

13. "People used what they called a telephone because they hated being close together and they were scared of being alone."

14. "That saying, about how you always kill the thing you love, well, it works both ways."

15. "The only difference between suicide and martyrdom is press coverage."

16. "The trick to forgetting the big picture is to look at everything close-up."

17. "When did the future switch from being a promise to a threat?"

18. "You have a choice. Live or die. Every breath is a choice. Every minute is a choice. To be or not to be."

19. "Being tired isn't the same as being rich, but most times it's close enough."

20. "This is why I loved the support groups so much. If people thought you were dying, they gave you their full attention."

21. "We're the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War's a spiritual war... our Great Depression is our lives."

22. "On a long enough timeline. The survival rate for everyone drops to zero."

23. "With a gun stuck in your mouth and the barrel of the gun between your teeth, you can only talk in vowels."

24. "The things you own end up owning you."

25. "The best way to waste your life, ... is by taking notes. The easiest way to avoid living is to just watch. Look for the details. Report. Don't participate.”

25 Quotes from Clarkson

Jeremy Clarkson certainly has a way with words. One of my personal favorites was in reference to the new Caparo T1. “When this thing goes on sale, there isn’t going to be a ditch in the land or a hedge row that isn’t full of Premiereship footballers who are broken and on fire.” Enjoy.

1. “I’d like to consider Ferrari as a scaled down version of God.”

2. [On the Porsche Boxster] “It couldn’t pull a greased stick out of a pig’s bottom.”

3. [When driving the Mercedes SLR McLaren through a tunnel] “When they debate as to what the sound of the SLR engine was akin to, the British engineers from McLaren said it sounded like a Spitfire. But the German engineers from Mercedes said ‘Nein! Nein! Sounds like a Messerschmitt!’ They were both wrong. It sounds like the God of Thunder, gargling with nails.”

4. “I’m sorry, but having an Aston Martin DB9 on the drive and not driving it is a bit like having Keira Knightley in your bed and sleeping on the couch. If you’ve got even half a scrotum it’s not going to happen.”

5. “Speed has never killed anyone, suddenly becoming stationary… that’s what gets you.”

6. “Koenigsegg are saying that the CCX is more comfortable. More comfortable than what… being stabbed?”

7. [On Detroit] “God may have created the world in six days, but while he was resting on the seventh, Beelzebub popped up and did this place.”

8. “Owning a TVR in the past was like owning a bear. I mean it was great, until it pulled your head off, which it would.”

9. [On the Renault Clio V6] “I think the problem is that it’s French. It’s a surrendermonkey.”

10. [On the Enzo Ferrari] “I rang up Jay Kay, who’s got one, and said: “Can we borrow yours?” and he said, “Yeah, if I can borrow your daughter, because it amounts to the same thing.”

11. [On the Porsche Cayenne] “I’ve seen gangrenous wounds better looking than this!”

12. “The air conditioning in Lamborghinis used to be an asthmatic sitting in the dashboard blowing at you through a straw.”

13. “Whenever I’m suffering from insomnia, I just look at a picture of a Toyota Camry and I’m straight off.”

14. “If you were to buy a [BMW] 6-series, I recommend you select reverse when leaving friends’ houses so they don’t see its backside.”

15. “That [Pagani] Zonda, really! It’s like a lion in orange dungarees. Kind of fierce, but ridiculous all at the same time.”

16. [On a Chevrolet Corvette] “The Americans lecture the world on democracy and then won’t let me turn the traction control off!”

17. [On the Alfa Romeo Brera] “Think of it as Angelina Jolie. You’ve heard she’s mad and eats nothing but wallpaper paste. But you would, wouldn’t
you?”

18. “A turbo: exhaust gasses go into the turbocharger and spin it, witchcraft happens and you go faster.”

19. “This is a Renault Espace, probably the best of the people carriers. Not that that’s much to shout about. That’s like saying ‘Oh good, I’ve got syphilis, the best of the sexually transmitted diseases!’”

20. “In the olden days I always got the impression that TVR built a car, put it on sale, and then found out how it handled – usually when one of their customers wrote to the factory complaining about how dead he was.”

21. [On the Mercedes CLS55 AMG] “It sounds like Barry White eating wasps.”

22. “I’d rather go to work on my hands and knees than drive there in a Ford Galaxy. Whoever designed the Ford Galaxy upholstery had a cauliflower fixation. I would rather have a vasectomy than buy a Ford Galaxy.”

23. “Usually, a Range Rover would be beaten away from the lights by a diesel powered wheelbarrow.”

24. “Racing cars which have been converted for road use never really work. It’s like making a hardcore adult film, and then editing it so that it can be shown in British hotels. You’d just end up with a sort of half hour close up of some bloke’s sweaty face.”

25. “I don’t understand bus lanes. Why do poor people have to get to places quicker than I do?”

Making a playlist and checking it twice

Not that I'd like to feed a tremendous ego, but today we had a great meeting with our company's CEO, Rick Goings. He's quite a motivational speaker and should consider writing a book. I don't think he'll have a problem finding ways to occupy his time when he retires within the next few years.

He used a few quotes from others and this amazing video of Susan Boyle: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

Here are some other items I came away with:

Each person is actually two people, the person they are today and the person they can become.

Shit happens - Deal with it!

Responsibility = Response + Ability

You are where you are today because that's where you want to be.

4 Warrior Training Tips
1. Create a vision of the life you want. (the more vivid the better)
2. Take responsibility for your ATTITUDE at every moment.
3. Take responsibility for your BODY every day.
4. Nurture and grow relationships.

What would you attempt if you knew your could not fail?

If what's in your dreams isn't already inside you, how could you ever dream it?

Fill your mind with the best you are, or someone will fill (cloud) it for you.

Make today count. (there are 233 days left to make a difference this year)

Neoteny is an adult's ability to retain childlike qualities.

Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming, WOW !!!! What a ride!

Find some energizers with music and images (make a playlist with a purpose)
- Rick's picks include Eye of the Tiger by Survivor, Back in the High Life Again by Steve Winwood and Sultans of Swing by Dire Straights.
- I'd like to add It's My Life by Bon Jovi, Beautiful Day by U2, and The Distance by Cake. (using Blip.fm makes it easy)

Lastly, get back in touch with someone. You'll be glad you did.

Holy Sh*t We're Small!

Click to make bigger.

Panic!!

The last article I posted on here wasn't original. It was the work of someone I highly admire, Seth Godin. Unfortunately, I don't have original writing of my own to post today either, but I wanted to pass along another great piece from Seth. Here it is:

If you don't know what to do, and you're frightened, might as well panic.

That seems to be the first rule of being a member of the human race. Apparently, panicking is an acceptable substitute for forethought, contingency planning or actually taking productive action. We almost want to blame the thing we're anxious about on the person who isn't planning. "Don't you care! Can't you see that we're all gonna die! That we're going to go bankrupt? That the world as we know it is going to end?"

More people are killed by deer than sharks, but you don't see park rangers running around like nutcases.

There's huge pressure on our leaders and co-workers and institutions to panic. If for no other reason, we say, they should panic as a sign that they care, that they are taking things seriously.

A while ago, I said that the devil doesn't need an advocate.

Let me add to this: we have enough caution. We don't need an abundance of caution. That's too much.

What you say, what you do and who you are

Excellent post this morning from Seth Godin (blog)

We no longer care what you say.

We care a great deal about what you do.

If you charge for hand raking but use a leaf blower when the client isn't home
If you sneak into an exercise class because you were on the wait list and it isn't fair cause you never get a bike
If you snicker behind the boss's back
If you don't pay attention in meetings
If you argue with a customer instead of delighting them
If you copy work and pass it off as your own
If you shade the truth a little
If you lobby to preserve the unsustainable status quo
If you network to get, not to give
If you do as little as you can get away with

...then we already know who you are.

Going Green at Work

Picture this. A company posts its green initiatives all over its website. The company president tells an audience about its environmentally-friendly practices. Then, one day a member of that audience arrives at the company for a meeting. He is offered bottled water, but declines. He is then offered coffee, which he accepts, but it is served in a Styrofoam cup. And, he questions just how serious this company can be about going green.
[FULL STORY]

Hi Wil - The New Economic Reality

This is the fifth entry in my Hi Wil series of posts. (what I learned at Housewares International)

The New Economic Reality: What does it Mean for Each Generation - Presented by Susan Yashinsky

5 Key Generations
1. Digital from Birth (0-13)
2. Generation Now (14-33)
3. Generation x (34-43)
4. Zoomers (44-63)
6. Primetimers (64 and up)

Digital From Birth
....are creative
....are the best at multitasking
....are pampered
....many share bedrooms
....like to craft items
....like to help around the house

Generation Now
....are empowered
....are citizens of the world
....will have problems to solve (Hero Generation)
....will have their designs highly influenced by women
....like soft-modern designs
....have sexual equality in the workplace and the shopping center (also with Gen X)
....like to be noticed. "Look at me!"
....love lots of color
....like to be individuals / have individual style
....have ADD - as in they need a lot of attention-getters
....are visually oriented

Generation X
....not as pampered
....born in the 70's recession
....started their careers in the Dot Com Bust
....are building their careers in the current recession
....are interested in Do-It-Yourself (homes, cars, & health)
....30% will never marry
....love to entertain family and friends
....like to stay home and replicate what they would have done if going out
....are financially strapped, but practical (stuck in "starter homes")
....have tons of pocessions.
....love mobility
....are globally aware

Zoomers
....have 60% of the United States discretionary income
....have a youth mentality in that they think and feel 20 years younger than their age
....take many cues from their children
....are working longer than previous generations
....are supporting multiple generations (their parents and their children)
....are staying in their current homes

Primetimers
....prefer to safely age in place
....have great connections with their grandchildren
....look for ergonomics (nana-technology)
....use steps to help them reach shelves
....use talking scales instead of those with small numbers
....like illumination everywhere, especially in the bathroom, where many injuries occur

For all generations
....do more for less
....add simple design
....provide a better experience
....have differentiated, yet relevant products

The four biggest resolutions for 2009
1. I will be more socially responsible
2. I will spend more time at home
3. I will devote more time to health and well-being
4. I will stretch my dollar

Listen to the audio from this presentation

Hi Wil - Green Marketing to Women

This is the fourth entry in my Hi Wil series of posts. (what I learned at Housewares International)

Green Marketing to Women. Presented by Frank About Women.

Green is the biggest movement of the near future.

There are 8 fundamental truths about women and being "Green."

1. Women truly fuel the green movement, more so than men.
____a. Women are more likely to switch from their favorite brands to one that is more environmentally friendly.
____b. Women are more accepting of green messages and advertisements.
____c. Women are more likely to ask mass-market retailers to carry green products.
____d. Women are more likely to believe that buying green will make an impact on the environment.

2. Women truly believe in their purchasing power.
____a. The Big Green Purse is a great guide to help women buy green.
____b. Whole Foods is taking donations at the checkout for their green charity, "Whole Planet".
____c. Key - Celebrate her ability to make a difference with her purchasing decision and keep making it easy for her to give back.

3. Women are motivated to buy green for themselves and for the globe. They do it to be more healthy as well as to help the environment.

4. Most women refuse to sacrifice ease and convenience for green benefits.

5. Understand her green value equation. Being green alone isn't enough. Think impact + convenience + health. Wal-mart is leading the charge with making green products more affordable.

6. Women embrace green "all over" - across many categories and in every aspect of her life.

7. Don't paint is green. She will know the difference. Actions count as much as words. Women believe that we are all in this together. Women expect that your green promise will extend past its marketing hype. Transparency is extremely important.

8. One size fits all simply doesn't work. Not all women share the same drivers and motivation to buy green.

Listen to the audio from this presentation

Hi Wil - Products Reinvented

This is the third entry in my Hi Wil series of posts. (what I learned at Housewares International)

Products Reinvented: Smart, Consumer-driven Sustainable Life-cycle Solutions. Panel

If the recycled content product you're buying doesn't say post-consumer recycled materials, it probably came from industry waste, that wouldn't have ended up in the landfill anyway.

There is a new buzz centered on Green 2.0. It's being green, but not in the typical ways that we've seen over the past couple of years. Look at Method cleaning products. Raw materials are only part of the puzzle. You must also look at packaging and sourcing, among other things.

90% of plastics can be recycled. Plastic bags are not evil. They can be recycled into other things, like shopping baskets.

There is a HUGE need for a labeling system for sustainability, much like that of nutritional labeling on foods. In the meantime, a company can get endorsements from trusted environmental sources, like Clorox has done with the Sierra Club.

Quote of the presentation, "You can't do business without being transparent about your sustainability efforts, because you will get caught and the world will spread.

Listen to audio from the presentation

Hi Wil - Brand Brending

This is the second entry in my Hi Wil series of posts. (what I learned at Housewares International)

Brand Bending: The Low Cost / high Impact Strategy for Leveraging Your Brand in Difficult Times. Presented by Adrienne Weiss. (the highlight of my day)

Branding is story telling, plain and simple. However, the story is not about the brand. It is about the customer. Think of Nike and "Just Do It." Nike is not doing it, you are. Look at the Abercrombie & Fitch ads with bare-chested men. No clothes in the ad. What do they sell?

Communicate to the inner feelings of your customer. Become a club that people want to belong to.

Think of your brand as its own country with its own language, rituals, and customs. Then, think about all the touch points with your customer and put them through your brand's filter.

Add humor and entertainment in your storytelling. The bar for entertainment is set really high. They want to be entertained 200 times in 200 different ways.

"Own" a word. Look at Casabella. They own "be." Let it BE. BE clean. BE functional. BEAR in mind that Build-a-Bear "owns" the word bear and is the "Place where best friends are made."

Give the customer a reason to hangout with you for more than a minute.

Make your story relevant to their culture.

Start with small, cheap, things. You'll get much more credit from thousands of straws with a clever saying printed on them than from a big sign outside your restaurant. Which one can fit in a purse? The way to redesign your brand on a budget is to change what you are already doing. Replace your normal ads, wallpaper, signs, or packaging with something more creative and something that tells your story. Replace instead of add.

Audio from this presentation.
Adrienne's Website

Hi Wil – Forecasting the Future

This is the first entry in my Hi Wil series of posts. The Hi Wil series is created from my trip to the International Home and Housewares Show in Chicago(Housewares International = Hi) The series will summarize some things I’ve learned from attending various presentations (Wil = What I Learned).

Forecasting the Future: Generational Expectations for Shopping and Eating vs. Cooking. Presented by Tim Woods of Poco Labs.

In the past five years, there has been a shift in technology decisions. According to women in 2000, the male head of the house made the majority of the tech-driven purchasing decisions. If the family was thinking about buying a new TV, computer, or cell phone, the man made the purchase. However, there has been an influx of technology from then to now. Computers are now seen for “lifestyle” instead of for “performance calculations.” As early as five years after the previous survey, women stated that they were now the decision makers when it came to technology purchases. Of course, men still say they are the primary technology decision makers as well.

What does the influx of technology mean? For one, it has lead to a tremendous growth in obesity and type II diabetes in children. Technology has been labeled the #1 cause. Gen Y (Millenials for some), is also constantly connected. This has brought on something amazing. The Millenials now stay home to spend time with their friends. They don’t go outside and they don't physically get together. They connect to friends with cell phones, game systems, and social networking sites. The demand for driver’s ed is considerably down. Previous generations saw getting a driver’s license and a car as a way to have freedom. They could drive to spend time with their friends. That’s no longer the case for teens today.

The answers to the question, “What are you doing for dinner tonight?” have also changed. For the Boomers, the answer typically involves cooking. For Gen X, it involves heating and for Gen Y, the answer is eating. It’s surprising to see the difference in these answers. Gen Y doesn’t think about cooking in the same way. They see cooking as a means for entertainment and hobby, not as a means to bring them substance. Where some see the Food Network as educational, the young generation sees it as entertaining.

The reason that people need to pay attention to Gen Y is that everyone is becoming like Gen Y. The Millenials have a huge influence on the other generations. In fact, parents of Gen Y are now the leading growth segment of Facebook users. So study Gen Y to forecast the future of each generation.

Other notes:

1. Technology doesn't always fit. (refrigerators (20 yr lifespan )+ computers (2 yr lifespan))??

2. Kitchens will change dramatically over the next 10 years. Do we still need the 30 inch stove?

3. Your restaurant no longer has one reviewer. It has thousands and they are well connected.

4. The key is to understand how your customer will live at the time that your product will be launched, not when you design it. Use persona development scenarios.

Audio from this presentation

The Alchemist

I was recently incorrect when comparing The Alchemist to Who Moved My Cheese or any other parable. It's much more grandiose. It has more messages than just about change and there is more to the story itself.

I was amazed to find that the book holds the record for being translated into the most languages and is very high on the charts of best sellers for all time. It sits right behind The Catcher in the Rye. I think that it would be a good one to recommend to anyone. The audio version that I am listening to is incredibly performed by Jeremy Irons.

An Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago who travels from his homeland in Spain to the Egyptian desert in search of a treasure buried in the Pyramids. Along the way he meets a Gypsy woman, a man who calls himself king, and an alchemist, all of whom point Santiago in the direction of his quest. No one knows what the treasure is, or if Santiago will be able to surmount the obstacles along the way. But what starts out as a journey to find worldly goods turns into a discovery of the treasures found within. Lush, evocative, and deeply humane, the story of Santiago is an eternal testament to the transforming power of our dreams and the importance of listening to our hearts.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Easiest cheap way to dramatically increase sales

Call or write to your customers.

"I know that times are tough right now. Is there anything I can do to help?"

You'll end up doing a lot for your customers. Which is a wonderful privilege, even for those that don't return the favor.

Unyielding Wisdom

There once was a man who died before my time. He was widely known for writing a book which is one of the best-selling books of all time. His remarkable sayings are still being used today, like "Quitters never win and winners never quit" and "What the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve."

Napoleon Hill wrote one of the greatest books of all time, Think and Grow Rich. The book was published in 1937 and has been a life-changer for many successful people. The book has not only taught me a philosophy of achievement, but amazed me with it’s own story. It is the history behind the book that makes it as powerful as the message it teaches.

Mr. Hill was born in a two room cabin in Virginia. His family was poor and his mother died when he was ten years old. Napoleon started working for a newspaper at the age of thirteen and paid for his own education. In 1908, he went on an assignment to interview famous men of our nation. At that time, he met the richest man in the world, Andrew Carnegie. At that time, Mr. Carnegie gave Napoleon Hill the opportunity of a lifetime. He commissioned Hill, with no pay, to work for him for 20 years. His task was to create a philosophy of personal achievement. The only help provided to him by Carnegie was letter of endorsement to a large number of successful people, many of them millionaires.

As part of his research, Hill interviewed many of the most famous people of the time, including Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, George Eastman, Henry Ford, Elmer Gates, John D. Rockefeller, Charles M. Schwab, F.W. Woolworth, William Wrigley Jr., John Wanamaker, William Jennings Bryan, Joseph Stalin, Theodore Roosevelt, William H. Taft, Woodrow Wilson, Charles Allen Ward and Jennings Randolph. The project lasted over twenty years, during which Hill became an adviser to Carnegie. As a result of these studies, the Philosophy of Achievement was offered as a formula for rags-to-riches success by Hill and Carnegie, published initially in 1928 as a study course called, The Law of Success. The Achievement formula was detailed further and published in home-study courses, including the seventeen-volume "Mental Dynamite" series until 1941. (from Wikipedia)

From 1933 to 1936, Napoleon Hill worked for President Franklin D. Roosevelt. During this time, he was not paid. When FDR asked him how much he was getting for his valuable service, Hill told him that he hadn’t received a penny yet and he wasn’t about to ask for one, but if the president insisted, he could be given a salary of $1 per year, which became his new salary. During this same time, Mr. Hill wrote Think and Grow Rich along with other books without the intent to publish. At the end of the Great Depression, Napoleon Hill decided that this manuscript ought to be published and it has since sold more than 30 million copies worldwide.

While working with FDR, Napoleon Hill collected more than 500 influential Americans to change the attitude of the American citizen during a time of economic crisis. He united newspapers, radio stations, political parties, and even religious organizations with the same purpose, to spread the word about the greatness of America, while keeping away from the negativity and fear that was spreading.

Living well into his late 80’s, Napoleon Hill authored nine books, was a key adviser to the president, and created the Napoleon Hill Foundation to teach the philosophy of personal achievement.

Cheer or Fear at Best Buy?

March 8th marks the last day for Circuit City. They've been on the decline since before our economy took a serious nose dive. Although Circuit City was a star company many years ago, they didn't successfully address the growing popularity of video games, online shopping, or partnerships with hot new brands, like Apple. In addition, the service at Circuit City was less than stellar, if not dismal.

When I first heard about Circuit City closing its stores, I thought that it must be good news for Best Buy. Maybe it's not.

Circuit City was Best Buy's biggest competitor, but recent changes in the economic landscape have changed the way people buy and what they spend their tightly gripped money on. Comparable same store sales have dropped by 6.5%. On top of that, three of Best Buy's competitors are quickly picking up the market share that was left behind by Circuit City.

Amazon.com can offer prices and product selection that puts even the big box behemoth Best Buy to bantam. If you couple those attributes with the ability to get the items delivered with free shipping and NO SALES TAX then you'll see why Amazon.com is stealing share. Plus, you don't have to drive to the store, fight the crowd, wait in line for a service person or at the check out.

Some people want to see the items their purchasing, especially TVs. This is true. Also, some people aren't sure what they need, so they seek advice. Unfortunately for the company, Best Buy has quickly become a research center. People go to Best Buy to see the items and to get insight from their in-store experts. Then, those people go online and find the item they found at Best Buy for a lower price. If it's an item that you don't need immediately, it's nice to save 10% or more.

The remaining two quickly-rising competitors to Best Buy can be considered no-brainers. Wal Mart and discount warehouse clubs, like Costco, Sam's, and BJ's, are competing with Best Buy on price and frequently win. Their selections have recently grown to rival that of Best Buy. In a time of vigilance, consumers are even more cautious with how they spend their money.

I don't think that Best Buy will fall down the Circuit City hole anytime soon, but I also think that the company will need to address their quickly rising competitors. They can do this by offering new in-store services as well as continuing partnerships with hot new brands. The company's recent announcement of re-testing an entry into the used game market is proof that they are working towards the future and meeting the needs of the cash-crunched present.

Should be common sense

The following ideas should be common sense, but I am frequently surprised by people who live like they've never heard them, or don't think that they are important.

1. Be nice - it's amazing how things can come back around to you. They used to say that nice guys finished last, but now they say that mean guys don't finish at all. Some prime examples are doctors. When have you ever seen a nice doctor get sued for malpractice?

2. Invest in yourself first. The best investment that you can make is in your own education or development. This investment reaps rewards for the rest of your life, unless you develop educational amnesia. It's never too late to start.

3. The only person who can truly help you is yourself. Everyone else can make an impact, but none can help you as much as you can help yourself. Don't wait for hand outs or help from others. Be proactive.

4. You are your own brand. Don't try to be a knockoff of someone else, but don't forget to learn from what people did to build their brand. Protect your brand image and market your brand. You might be the next GE, Apple, or Nike.

5. Set goals and use the law of attraction. Write your goals down. Plan ways to achieve them and share your goals with others. You never know when they might be able to assist you or cheer you on. Visualize what you desire, think about it all the time and you will eventually achieve or receive it.

Happiness??

Love (lust)
+
Wealth (greed)
+
Health (gluttony, sloth)
+
Power (wrath)
+
Fame (envy, pride)
=
Happiness??

Direct Selling from an Industry Insider

There are four types of direct selling businesses out there. One type offers a good product. One type offers a group of good products. One type offers an entertaining way to demonstrate and sell products, and one type offers a group of good products that can be sold and demonstrated in an entertaining way.

As for the first one, I think that Xango, Tahitian Noni, and XELR8, fit here. They are what I call "one trick ponies." They offer a great product, but little else. I think that they are great for people who love the product and want to get it at a discount. I think that it would be extremely difficult to make substantial money with this business for an extended amount of time. Once the novelty of this product wears off, you are left with little else.

The second one is like Avon, Herbalife, Usana, Arbonne and a bunch more. They offer a group of good products. These businesses are good for those looking for a discount and offer the ability for someone to make a substantial amount of money for an extended time. They only problem that I see with these businesses is that it is more difficult to find customers. These are your typical MLM / Direct Selling / One-to-One sales businesses. Some of these businesses offer parties, but I don't count them in the group below because you are not really demonstrating anything. You are showing off products, but not how to use them because most people can figure them out easily.

The third type of business is like Pampered Chef and Cutco Knives. They have an entertaining way to sell and demonstrate products, the party. The party allows you to find customers and recruits faster than the one-to-one selling alone. The problem with these businesses, in my opinion, is that the products are not as popular any more and they are durable, meaning that they do not need to be replenished. Plus, they seem overpriced and commoditized. Then again, most direct sales products are.

The last type is the best in my opinion. These are the BeautiControl, Tupperware, and BodyShop at Home type businesses. Tupperware isn't a great fit in this category, but they do offer products that are popular and an entertaining party. However, their products are also durable, overpriced and commoditized like Pampered Chef's products. BeautiControl is my favorite because the products are excellent, consumable, they are rare in certain areas, and they offer the spa party. The BodyShop also offers the spa party, but I don't think that the products are as good.

The Spa Party is a great way to sell products in direct selling, because it is easy to convince women to come to a party to relax and be pampered. At the party, you can also demonstrate skin care products, which are a huge success with the Baby Boomers right now. The products are consumable, so the customers will be calling you to ask for more. The party is so popular that your guests will want to book their own spa parties.

Another great thing about direct selling companies that offer a party is that you can still sell the products in a one-to-one fashion, like you do with Avon and etc.

Lastly, if you are choosing a direct selling company to work for, please note that most of them offer similar compensation plans. Even Avon has a multi-level compensation plan. You get paid virtually the same way in each company. Most importantly, pick a company where you enjoy the products. If all else fails, you still get the discount. It's much easier to sell a product that you enjoy. You can use your own stories about the products and people will know that you are speaking from the heart and not "faking it."

Those are my 10 cents on the subject. Fell free to comment or ask questions. I happen to have a little experience in the industry.

Living in the Procrasti-Nation

We live in a Procrasti-Nation.

While looking for some information on our Procrasti-Nation I found two interesting studies. One doctor said it best when he stated that although we procrastinate less as a form of maturity, adults still live and work in a "motivationally toxic" environment. The toxicity has been rising steadily with the tide of technology: New communication tools put us in touch with the office as well as the latest sports scores and viral videos. The big hit came when the Internet was born. It has been compared to someone on a diet having a magic spoon full of ice cream always floating around their face. At the flip of your wrist, there's YouTube, gossip blogs, stock tickers, and sports scores - whatever your poison, it's all out there.

"Procrastinators tend to be impulsive, focused on the here and now. As a result, they reach for the handiest way to kill time, and doing anything slides inevitably to the deadline."

Another doctor says, "Everybody puts something off, but one in every four Americans is a chronic procrastinator. They delay RSVPing, delay getting gas in the car, wait until they get the third bill to pay it and wait until the 24th of December to buy Christmas presents. Telling them to just do it is like telling someone who's depressed to just cheer up."

While I firmly believe that we should take responsibility for our actions, I must admit that technology is making it easier to procrastinate and more difficult for us to work on the things we need to. I like what one psychologist says, "If all you need in order to get through life is some sensible advice, why don't you eat your veggies, avoid sweets, and stick to the life plan, just like your mother told you to?"

"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by." - Douglas Adams

Talking Points & Popular Terms

Are you the type who does more listening than talking around the water cooler because you aren't in touch with the popular stories buzzing around the Internet?

Have you heard someone mention "Numa Numa", "Grapefall", "Afro Ninja", or "Techno Viking" and have no clue what they're talking about?

Do you get confused when people mention "Nuking the fridge" or "Crash Wednesday"?

I'm here to help.

Right now, people are talking about how Michael Cera has finally signed on for Arrested Development, Rick Santelli is ranting about the government's economic plan, Megan Fox is a single lady, and the Octo Mom has been given a million dollar offer to do porn. BTW (by the way) Crash Wednesday is dedicated to your hangover on the day after Mardi Gras. The day is also known as Ash Wednesday for Catholics.

How do I know about those things? It's much easier than you may think. Here are a few websites that you may visit on a regular basis and stay up-to-date.

Technorati is a tool that is used by many bloggers to keep track of what is popular on the web. It allows people to see popular news, videos, photos, blogs, movies, music, and games. It's a great place to go to find things to talk about, write about, or share with others.

Urban Dictionary is an amazing resource for learning about new phrases or terms that are used as slang. This is a very easy to use and fun site. Each day, a new term or phrase is shown on the front page. The site can also be searched. This can be especially useful if you have kids. If Johnny comes home talking about administering "The Shocker", you'll know if you should administer soap in the mouth.

& Delicious and Digg are two good resources for finding and saving your favorite articles, blogs, or websites. They can also be used to see what articles, etc. are popular today and over specific points of the past. I recommend adding my post and blog to both.

Twitter can be seen as either very cool or very annoying. Basically, it's a place where people write little entries about what they are doing right now. Some people use it to post relevant entries and some use it to post even the smallest of events, like eating breakfast. Twitter is good for people who want to know about other people's day-to-day or minute-to-minute activities.

Armed with the tools above, you should be able to keep up with all of the Jones' when it comes to topic conversation and slang. You should also have ideas to write about, places to learn about new subjects, and ways to keep updated on specific pieces of interest.

Six Things You Should Avoid

It's Fat Tuesday, otherwise known as Mardi Gras! Often celebrated with drinks, Cajun and Creole food and King cake, the holiday is known as a last day of total indulgence. So what can you do tomorrow to get your health and fitness back on track? Here, Bob Greene, exercise physiologist and Oprah's trainer, lists six things you should stop doing:

1. Drinking alcohol (when you're trying to start a weight-loss program). I don't want readers to think that they have to give up alcohol entirely if they don't want to. People who want to lose weight should give up alcohol for the first month or two because it slows the metabolism. You can work it back in appropriately after the initial period.
2. Drinking full-calorie soda. These are best left out of the diet entirely. Once most people are exposed to better alternatives, they never go back to drinking sodas.
3. Eating anything with trans fat. The good news on this one is that food processors and manufactures get the message that trans fat is bad, and many have eliminated it from products on grocery story shelves.
4. Eating fried foods. These have to come off the table—whether you're on the road or eating at home.
5. Eating white bread. People who give up white bread miss it at first, but then gravitate to the whole-grain and whole-wheat breads, eventually liking those better.
6. Eating high-fat milk and yogurt. These are easy to replace with low-fat yogurts and 1 percent skim milk or soy milks.

Save or Spend?

turmoil, Turmoil, TURMOIL!! The world's economy is in turmoil.

What should we do? Many people are losing jobs, homes, and retirement savings.

Should we save our money? That way, we can "buy" ourselves some time if we lose our jobs. That way, we may have enough to cover for an emergency if it's tough to acquire credit. That way, we feel safe. Losing a job or a home is a scary thought.

Should we spend our money? Everything is on sale! 92% of Americans still have their jobs. I'm not certain of this, but I'm willing to bet that the stock market will rebound. The value of our homes and retirement savings may as well. If we stop spending money, then the cycle of businesses losing money, laying off people, and possibly shutting down will continue.

But, we might not need to spend. Maybe the economy is "right-sizing." Maybe we don't need to upgrade all of our electronics. Maybe we can use our cars for more than five years. Maybe we don't need to go to a gym to get exercise. Maybe we can eat at home, use our imaginations, spend time with our families, grow our own food, and iron our own shirts. Maybe we don't need to be so extravagant.

The again, if we work for our money, shouldn't we be able to use it to pamper ourselves? Is our time too valuable to waste on menial tasks that we can pay someone to do for us?

There's a lot to think about when making this seemingly easy decision. Maybe there is no right answer.

Seth Godin

I was introduced to Seth Godin's work a few years ago. He is a master marketer, a great writer, and an inspiration to many.

Today, Seth posted his 3,000th blog post. I can see how every one of his posts have had an impact on at least one of his many readers. Many of his words have influenced me.

I highly recommend checking him out at http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/

Impossible!

If someone says, "That's impossible."

You should understand it as:
"According to my very limited experience and narrow understanding of reality, that's very unlikely."

Bottles and Cups

The average person drinks 4,742 plastic bottles of water in a lifetime and the bottles take up to 1,000 years to degrade in a landfill. Only a small amount is actually recycled. Plus, it takes energy to create and ship the bottles to their destination.

On top of that, each year, Americans throw away 25 billion styrofoam cups that cannot be recycled. That's enough to circle the Earth 436 times.

I've just worked with a group to eliminate all styrofoam from our campus and I'm working on limiting the amount of water bottles used here as well. Hopefully others will join me in slowing down our consumption of these harmful items.

Greatness

What makes your country great TODAY and why are you proud to be a citizen?

In the United States, we have sandy beaches, rocky mountains and grassy plains. Our people come in many colors, cultures, attitudes and experiences. Our resources are possibly the most plentiful in the world. The United States is built on a strong and successful history and continues to allow our citizens to elect the government. This country is the home of some of the world's greatest scientists, athletes, entrepreneurs, artists and entertainers.

However, the United States is truly great TODAY because most of my family and friends are in this country with me. Because we are together, I am proud to be here as a citizen with you.

"Comfort and prosperity have never enriched the world as much as adversity has."
Billy Graham

Think about that next time life has you down.

A New Hope

This year we are celebrating a "New Hope." With it, we have a new blog.

Deep Fried Views is a relevant look into the minds of our global citizens as we tackle the future and learn from the past.

Please join me in transitioning our new hopes into new realities.